In the northern hemisphere, keeping warm in winter is often a problem. When engaging in outdoor activities such as skiing, sledding, iceskating, snowmobiling, snowboarding, snowshoeing, running, and the like, this situation can be exacerbated; exposed body parts become even colder because of their exposure to the wind created by the speed of the participant moving through the cold environment. To protect against exposure, and keep the neck, face and head warm, people wear various items such as ski masks, scarves, mufflers, hats or hoods to cover these regions. While these garments initially help to warm up or protect the exposed areas from the cold, because of the heat generated by the individual while engaging in these activities, that additional heat can, over time, lead to overheating. Because many of these activities require the participant to maintain their balance, or to maintain their concentration, it becomes difficult to adjust or remove these items without risking a potential accident.
Hayden (U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,660) discloses a neck garment comprising a muffler portion and an integral apron portion. The garment includes a set of interengageable fastening means that extend across the width of each end of the material, such that the garment can be put on and around the wearer's neck without having to be extended over the wearer's head. The closure can be either a zipper, hook and loop fasteners, buttons or snaps.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,543 Baker discloses a protective neck garment, a one-piece, continuous, resiliently stretchable structure that is generally tubular in shape and adapted to fit over and conform closely to the wearer's neck. An embodiment includes an inner layer intended to protect the wearer's neck from irritation by the garment's outer layer. The inner layer extends beyond the outer layer, and can be rolled over the outer layer. The outer layer may be made from an insulating material, such as stretch wool, and the inner layer of cotton to protect the wearer's neck from irritation.
Coursey (U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,333) discloses a closure for mufflers, wherein the zipper is inserted into the garment such that the zipper is hidden when the garment is closed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,042,442 (Buchman) discloses a scarf which is closed by a zipper (which is exposed) when worn on the individual's neck. Buchman discloses using down, sewn in pockets within the scarf, for added warmth.
In U.S. Pat. No. 811,096 Scott discloses a muffler which is closed by means of snap fasteners, positioned in the back of the muffler when worn.
Herbranson (U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,918) discloses a one piece neck scarf comprising a rectangular piece of fabric and a zipper attached along a side of the fabric, and the zipper can be used to completely or partially fasten the scarf when worn around the wearer's neck.
In U.S. Pat. No. 746,586 Schoch et al. disclose a combination muffler and chest protector, one embodiment for males and another for females. The female embodiment uses fasteners, such as buttons or snaps, to close the muffler at the back, when worn by the user.
Campbell (U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,066) discloses a combination fashion and exercise garment including warmers that are attached to the garment and which wrap around the desired body part. The garment includes warmers, strips of material attached at one end to the garment, and which further comprises mating strips to secure the warmer around the body part. The warmers may be permanently attached to the garment by stitching or similar means, or removably attached thereto by means of snaps.
Mustata (U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,618) discloses a neck and chest scarf comprising several layers of material which, when worn, are closed by means of a hook and loop fastener at the back of the user's head and neck. The inventor states that a zipper can be substituted for the hook and loop closures, but using such types of closure at the rear of a garment worn by participants in an active outdoor activity is impractical, particularly in activities where an individual may have other equipment in their hands, or where the individual must maintain their balance.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,883 Hong discloses a garment with a magnetic vent closure, as an example of a garment which can be used for flow-through cooling of the user, such as a motorcyclist, during warm weather and which can be used in conjunction with other protective clothing.
Carey, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,690 B1, discloses a head covering comprising a mask member with a head member joined together to define an opening that registers with the eyes. The mask member is formed of neoprene. The head member, formed of a fleece material, has a scarf portion extending below the head to surround the neck area of the user. This one-piece garment provides no means to open or adjust the scarf portion of the head covering.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,804 Carey et al. disclose a protective mask with scarf, held in place about the user's head and neck by a hook and loop fastener, positioned at the rear of the garment, and thus, difficult for one to access while actively engaging in sports.
A recurrent problem described in my previous U.S. Pat. No. (6,397,403 B1), is that once conventional neck warmers or masks are opened, the material still remains on the body part sought to be cooled. Because many of the aforementioned activities require the participant to maintain their balance, or to maintain their concentration, it becomes difficult to adjust or remove these items without risking a potential accident. Furthermore, many individuals engaged in activities such as skiing now wear helmets to protect against the risk of head injury, as well as goggles for eye protection. Helmets and goggles add to the bulk around the individual's neck, and are usually not removed during these activities. A scarf or muffler, once opened, still physically remains in the area, and it may literally be “flapping around in the wind”, which can, for example only, cause further distraction, block the wearer's vision or have other consequences, some of which might result in injury. Even using a jacket having a zipper which extends over the wearer's neck and face, once the zipper is opened there still is material that needs to be removed from the area to cool it down. A ski mask or hood also poses similar problems, because if it is pulled down from the head, it still surrounds the neck unless it is completely removed. A hat requires removal, and a convenient place in which to place it safely; and such actions are not always feasible. This inventor has observed this problem with garments including zippers used in the conventional manner (i.e., straight up and down, along the length of the wearer's neck), and has overcome this problem by altering the angle at which the zipper is positioned within the garment, thereby enabling the opened garment to lay out of the way, and allow for cooling of the warmed area.
Embodiments of the present invention are improvements upon my previous invention. In one embodiment, in addition to the garment being used as a neck muffler, it includes a hooded portion which will cover the wearer's head, yet allow the hood portion to be removed from the head, and still allow the wearer to cool their head and neck by means of the zipper contained in the neck member of the garment of the present invention. Other embodiments include a variety of garments such as jackets, vests, pullover garments and/or anoraks having a collar with the configuration of the neck garment and either with or without the hood portion.
One embodiment of the present invention is an article of clothing designed for keeping the wearer's neck warm during outdoor activities, such as skiing or other cold weather activities. This embodiment includes a neck member and a head covering (or hood) member. The hood member can be made from one or more pieces of fabric, and is attached to the neck member. The hood member can be worn over as much of the head as the user desires. The neck member is made of a single piece of fabric, and includes a zipper which is sewn in at an approximately 45 degree angle in relation to the length of the wearer's neck. The neck member is made such that there is a layer of material beneath the zipper, to protect the wearer's neck from contact with the zipper. By using a zipper at this particular angle, the inventor has found the garment can be opened readily by a user while skiing, and can also be kept open, offering the wearer the ability to cool off readily, yet be out of the way, a problem that occurs when a zipper is used in the conventional manner.